Check our portfolio
We've got something to brag about
Game localization into
Arabic
Interesting facts about Arabic
- There are approximately 362 million native speakers of Arabic
- Arabic is an official language in 26 states across the Middle East and North Africa
- It is one of six official languages of the United Nations
Other languages of localization
Get a Free Quote
Want to localize your game
into Arabic?
Arabic users around the world
There are approximately 362 million native speakers of Arabic. That number increases to 422 million people when you include non-native speakers or those who speak Arabic as a second language. Most people have one of the 33 varieties of Arabic as their native language. However, around 274 million people also use Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as a second language. It is the standardized form of Arabic primarily used in formal settings such as education, media, and literature.
Arabic as a language
Arabic is an official language in 26 states across the Middle East and North Africa. It is also one of six official languages of the United Nations. Arabic is a Semitic language, which means it is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. It is traditionally written with the Arabic alphabet from right to left. This causes some problems in the localization of game user interfaces (UIs) that have to be solved through internationalization efforts in their development.
Arabic in game localization
Arabic has become increasingly popular in the video game industry in recent years. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is the most used variety in Arabic localization. With a growing Arabic-speaking audience, many game developers are now including Arabic language options in their games, both in terms of interface, subtitles, and even voice-overs.
For example, major gaming companies such as Ubisoft and Electronic Arts have included Arabic language support in many of their games, including popular titles like Assassin’s Creed and FIFA. Additionally, indie developers have also included Arabic language options in their games.
There are some important challenges when localizing games into Arabic. These have to do with the particularities of the language and the cultural preferences and sensitivities. Interfaces must be adapted and responsive. This includes flipping the layout of the UI from left-to-right to right-to-left, as well as adjusting the direction of text input and scrolling.
When testing games, it is important to ensure that fonts can properly display the script’s characters and ligatures. In addition, it is important to check that graphics and icons are correctly placed and that they are culturally appropriate and understandable to Arabic speakers.
Overall, English proficiency in the Arabic-speaking world is not as widespread as in some other regions of the world. Lebanon is the one outlier. Therefore, Arabic game localization becomes crucial in reaching the very profitable Arab market.
Revenue and number of players
in the countries that use Arabic
The Arabic-speaking countries have some of the fastest-growing game markets in the world. Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt are the largest ones, but other countries are close in the list. All of them together add up to a multibillion market.
According to Newzoo’s revenue estimates for 2021, Saudi Arabia was the 23rd largest market in the world in terms of game revenue, with $837 million in 2020. Besides, it was estimated that the country would make $1.1 billion in 2021. There were an estimated 25.5 million gamers in Saudi Arabia in 2020. There same report estimated that the game revenue in Egypt was $406 million (41st place). The revenue in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was estimated to be $376 million (46th place) and had an estimated 4.1 million gamers.
There isn’t recent data for the other countries from Newzoo. However, Statista estimates that Iraq will make $387.9 million in 2023. According to the same source, Algeria will make $272.9 M, Morocco will male $179.3 M, Kuwait will make $96.1 M, and Lebanon will make $88.4 M.
Mobile is the most used platform in the MENA-3 region (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt), used by 60% of gamers according to a report by Newzoo. Console is the second most popular gaming platform with 25% of gamers using them, and PC is the least popular platform with 15%.
Some interesting facts
about the Arabic game market
- Saudi Arabia was the 23rd largest market in the world in terms of game revenue, with $837 million in 2020
- Mobile is the most used platform in the MENA-3 region (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt)
Ready to grow?
Spend little. Gain a great deal!
Localizing a video game into more languages is a relatively small outlay compared to how much you will gain.
Spend a few thousand and gain several million new players.
Spend a few thousand and gain several million new players.
